TIMONIUM, Md.--The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings sale, held Tuesday in Timonium on Tuesday, Oct. 1, was overall a disaster.

Maryland bred filly by City of LightThe Fasig-Tipton sale was just one indication of what's happening to the breeding industry.

Only the get of a few top Kentucky stallions bring top dollar, and because breeders know that, those stallions are being bred to the largest number of mares.

 Practical Joke had the highest number of mare's bred in 2024 with 277 followed by Justify (263), Gunite (256), Golden Pal (209), Elite Power (203), Uncle Mo (202), Gun Runner (200), Pappacap (200), Taiba (200), Vekoma (200).

Gun Runner with 200, is the sire of Gunite, with 256, Taiba with 200 and Pappacap with 200.

The Jockey Club projects a thoroughbred foal crop of 17,300 in 2025, so 863 of those will all be by those four related stallions.

The end result of that is that it will eventually make the gene pool smaller and thoroughbreds will begin to be inbred.

The commercial value of a horse is no longer what it is worth as a race horse but rather what it will bring at a sale before it is old enough to race.

So breeders are going to breed to a stallion whose get will sell well, not necessarily one that can run.

 

AT THE Fasig-Tipton Timonium sale, the number of horses in the sale was way down,  with yearlings sold this year only 181, about half the 290 sold in 2023.

But despite the number of horses in the sale having dropped drastically, the number of not sold was about the same as last year with 70 not sold this year.

But the actual number of yearlings not sold was actually even higher, as Fasig-Tipton lists those that get no bid at all as "Not Sold for $1,000."

Of the 35 were listed as having gotten a bid of $1,000, about 26 of those were yearlings that got no bid.

It appeared that no one wanted the yearlings by Pennsylvania and Maryland stallions and only yearlings by Kentucky stallions sold well.

Many of those not sold might be very good race horses, but buyers are afraid of the high cost of training, which of course has gone up with inflation.

It's a shame with the Breeders Awards offered by Pennsylvania and Maryland.

"It's discouraging, for sure," said Marshall Silverman, who has sold horses as agent for many years. "Fasig-Tipton may not even get enough horses to have the December sale. They said they have to get 120 to 130 horses to have a sale,and they only have about 40 now with the closing date Oct. 15."

With sales like this, many breeders will be driven out of business, and only those with enough money to breed to the few top Kentucky sale will be left.

The more that happens, the faster the gene pool will be reduced..

It costs breeders raising horses on their own farm about $8,000, not counting the stud fee, to get a yearling to a sale, and then at the sale, with the entry fee, x-rays and daily cost to pay an agent to show the horse, that adds about another $3,000.

So breeders are facing a cost of about $11,000 not counting the stud fee to sell their yearlings.

At the Fasig-Tipton yearling sale,the average was $23,821.

A Maryland bred filly by City of Light (Hip 49) brought the highest price of the day when purchased for $165,000 by LC Racing from the consignment of Becky Davis, agent.

City of Light's stud fee is $65,000

The bay filly is out of the winning Not For Love mare How My Heart Works, making her a half-sister to three winners, including graded stakes placed multiple stakes winner Monday Morning QB (Imagining) and graded stakes placed Asawer (Nyquist).

How My Heart Works – who was also responsible for last year’s sale-topper – is a half-sister to Awesome Flower, the graded stakes placed stakes winning mare who produced multiple Grade 1 winner and track record setter Cyberknife.

The immediate family further includes Grade/Group 1 winners Well Armed, American Patriot, and Played Hard.

The sale-topper was bred in Maryland by Bowman & Higgins Stable.

Rounding out the top five prices were:

Hip 206, a colt by Nyquist sold for $150,000 to Scanlon Training & Sales from the consignment of Becky Davis, agent. Out of the Midnight Lute mare Alottalute, the bay colt is a half-brother to three winners from as many to race, including multiple stakes winners Street Lute (Street Magician) and Alottahope (Editorial). Hip 206 was bred in Maryland by Bowman & Higgins Stable.

Hip 87, a colt by Vekoma sold for $125,000 to Gatsas Stables from the consignment of Marshall W. Silverman, agent. Out of the winning First Samurai mare Mamasan, the chestnut colt is a half-sibling to four winners and hails from the immediate family of track record setting Grade 1 winner Richter Scale. Hip 87 was bred in Kentucky by C. Kidder, N. Cole, B. Kidder & Estate of N. Strong.

Hip 105, a McKinzie filly sold for $120,000 to Gatsas Stables from the consignment of Becky Davis, agent. The dark bay or brown filly is out of the stakes performing Jump Start mare Moon Virginia, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Luna Belle. Hip 105 was bred in Maryland by Bowman & Higgins.

Hip 165, a filly from the first crop of Engage sold for $115,000 to Cash Is King from the consignment of Northview Stallion Station (David Wade), agent. The first foal out of the stakes performing Great Notion mare Stickingtogether, the dark bay or brown filly’s second dam is multiple graded stakes winner Who Did It and Run, who produced four stakes horses and the dams of seven stakes performers. Hip 165 was bred in Maryland by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds.

Overall, 180 yearlings sold for $4,267,700, good for an average of $23,709. The median was $15,000, tied for the third highest in sale history.